Reservation for two, shows up with 3 people demanding ESPN

[Tracy-and-Steve0]

So my guest shows up with 2- 21 year old coworkers and made the reservation for only himself and one coworker.  He complains that I only have cable and not enough stations and not ESPN even though he told me originally he really only wanted to make sure wifi was there because he was coming on a business trip.  So, afraid of gettng a bad review I call my cable provider and make significant changes.  My question is, when other people say they have cable, does this mean they have ALL the channels?  And, should I wait to try to get paid for the extra person until after their review or do I need to try to collect for that now? I'm a little afraid to mention it now because the guy is very demanding and seems to be a real jerk.  He has another 4 days in my house 😞  My listing clearly states $5 for each guest beyond two.  

[Lindsey6]

Don't let this guy intimidate you. If your terms are clear on your listing (ie. surcharge for each guest over 2), then just tell him that you would like to draw his attention to the additional guest fee, which you are more than happy to accommodate, but would require payment to be made direct straight away. Don't wait as it will become more difficult the longer you leave it. And if he still has 4 more days and wants to continue staying in your property, then he shouldn't have any issues settling the outstanding amount. Don't let people hold you over a barrel where reviews are concerned - if you haven't done anything wrong then you shouldn't need to worry about them leaving a bad review. And remember you can leave one for him - and can respond to his review! It works both ways.

[Maria-Lurdes0]

Hey @Tracy-and-Steve0 I want to add to @Lindsey6's good advice.  Don't let guests intimidate you.   You are a business, and while your business is the people business, it doesn't mean being taken advantage of.  This guest sounds like a bit of a bully and perhaps he's being a bit intimidating as a tactic to get what he wants.   Right now, he wants to steal from you, don't let him.

You very simply tell the guest - I am submitting an alteration to the booking to change the guest count to 3.  You mistakenly made the booking for only two guests.   Do this in the message thread, and be prepared to say the same thing if he asks you about it.  Don't engage in any why's, why nots, buts and ifs.   The guest made a booking for two, you could very easily have turned him away but you did not, you are now just updating the booking to ensure that it's correct.

With regard to cable, you've already called your provider, but I would have told the guest - we don't have ESPN.   We have X, Y, Z.   The guest didn't specifically ask before hand, and it is not a reasonable expectation to think that "cable" equals various sports specialty channels.   He did ask about wifi and you answered that.

If you get a negative review, then you'll reply to it with something like "my listing does not indicate specialty channels" or whatever.    FUture guests will see a potentially negative review but will also see the professional manner in which you replied to it, and they'll figure it out.

One thing that is very hard for new/newish hosts to learn is that it's up to you to be the boss, not the guest.  It takes time to develop that skill and it will come.    I've been hosting for six years, and I still let myself get taken advantage of by some guests, but I am getting better at setting clear boundaries.

[Tracy-and-Steve0]

@Maria-Lurdes0 @Lindsey6  Thank you both for your feedback.  This is quite the learning experience. I'll post an update when he's out.  3 more days.  UGH. 

[Stella2]

Totally agree with previous feedback(s). This person is using the system for his advantage, and will not stop his intimidation tactics if you do not stand up to him.

Utilizing Airbnb messaging to back up conversations with a guest who essentially pulled the same trick on me, became very helpful in my case, once I deducted the extra guest fee from his deposit at the end of his stay. Good Luck. 

[Tracy-and-Steve0]

@Stella2 unfortunately I didn't get a deposit, but have since added that to my listing.  

[Young1]

Bullies are bullies because it works.  Giving in just encourages them.

Insist on the additional fee for the additional guests.  If he wants ESPN, consider how much it would cost you and make a fair offer to him.

[Brittany1]

Make sure to write a professional and honest review of this guy. I sure don't want to host him, not that he would come to our *gasp* cable free apartment.

[Gladys8]

This has happened to me many times and I just do not believe it is an oversight now.  I immediately let them know that they need to contact AirBnB to correct this error and meanwhile I contact AirBnB myself and request the reservation be altered. So far this has worked, but I do it as soon as they walk in the door, but also I would not hesitate to ask them to leave if it were not resolved. 

[Christa-and-Matt0]

I just had a guest book for 1 person, and showed up with two. Thus, did not pay the fee for an additional person. How do I go back, or ask for the additional fee, especially when I have auto book turned on??

[Helen3]

You need to alter the reservation for the additional person. Your guest wil then need to authourise this at this end.

If he doesn't don't let them stay.

[Jeffrey40]

I personally think that people get too wrapped up in these types of things. I agree that people who incorrectly state their # of guests are taking advantage of the system, but is it really worth the trouble to try and collect the extra $10-$20? As long as the guests are respectful of my space, then I don't worry about it. You never know if that guest might become a regular for you and a nice source of income. A bad review is a bad review, no matter the reason. It has an effect on the star rating people see on the front page and I would HAPPILY pay $20 to have my rating be 5.0 instead of 4.8.

[City-Limits-Ranch0]

I agree with @Jeffrey40.  I recently had the NICEST guest.  He arrived with a girlfriend.  She was extremely nice also.  They took great care of the space and wrote us a GLOWING review.

When they arrived I said 'oh, there are two of you, the reservation was for one.  I'll alter the reservation and you can click on the accept button.'  I sent the alteration but it was never accepted.

I have had this happen before, the guests showed me their Airbnb account on their phone, and my request was not there.  In that case I later sent a resolution and they happily paid me.  I did pursue the extra $20 for those guests because they added two people at the last minute with my permission.  They happily paid the resolution.  Besides, I sent it after the review period ended 🙂

In the case of my recent very nice guest, I think my request did not show up on his account.  I think if it had he would have accepted it.  It was only $12.  I decided not to make a fuss, call Airbnb, involve the guest in trying to fix a website glitch etc.    Whatever.  It was fine.

So in this case, I'd drop the idea of trying to collect another few dollars.  I also would NOT have added cable service unless the guests were very very nice and also offered to pay for it.  No ESPN for you, go to a sports bar and get out of my hair.  Once they are gone, block them.  Hosting is a learning curve.  You can always send a resolution for extra guests and ESPN after the review period is over.  They won't pay but they may get the message.

[Paul154]

@Jeffrey40

Reputation is everything.

It's not about the $10 extra fee. It's about reputation.

$10 extra will not make a reputable person unhappy. They'll say "Sure, sorry I overlooked that"

This is the guest you want to become the regular, not the guy who thinks, "Sucka let me do whatever I want"

It is not offensive to ask for the correct price for the correct number of guests.

Reasonable people understand this.

 Also, $10/$20 does NOT buy you a good review from unreputable people.

[Andrew157]

Our listing are for a maximum of two people and come at the same price for 1 or 2 guests. The rules say that 2 is the maximum so if three turn up then they will not get entry. 

As for TV, UK freeview is provided so there is no premium sport channels. Do I need to add that to the listing as that is the minimum in the UK about 30 channels. We also have DVD players and some discs. Obviously we cannot provide all discs of all genres.